REPRESENTATION OF SADDAM HUSSEIN AND GEORGE W. BUSH IN TIME MAGAZINE 2003:
A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
PUBLICATION ARTICLES
by:
TIWIK MARTANI A320090107
REPRESENTATION OF SADDAM HUSSEIN AND GEORGE W. BUSH
IN TIME MAGAZINE 2003:
A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Tiwik Martani A3200900107
Department of English Education Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta
tiwik.martani107@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
This study is about the representation of Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush. The object of the study consists of Can This War Be Avoided?, Saddam Addresses Iraqi People and “We Got Him. This study is qualitative research. There are two types of data; primary and secondary. The primary data sources are those news in TIME magazine 2003; The secondary data are another material from some books or internet which related to the study. Both data are collected by library research and analyzed by descriptive analysis. The result of this study shows as follows: firstly, based in the structural analysis, macrostructure, superstructure and microstructure are arranged well by the reporters. It makes relationship one another. Secondly, based on the representation analysis, Saddam was represented as the criminal and Bush was represented as the hero. Their representation is cause by the reporter’s background which consist of personal identity, knowledge, cultural and value background.
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I. Introduction
The date of 11 September 2001 called by a global memory because World Trade Centre (WTC) building which is one of the central place in New York City dissolved by some people who called by terrorist. (Brunn, 2004:10) Osama bin Laden was as the leader of al-Qaeda was accused as criminal of it, but other than him Bush also accused Saddam as the helper of him because Saddam contribute weapons to attack WTC. Therefore, Bush decided to invade on March 20, 2003. (Rountree, 2011:109-110)
Unconsciously, we are represented in our daily. We understand ourselves, one another and our environment. Representation is the sense of represent as re-present, it means that to make present again which connected between two ways; spatial and temporal. (Prendergast in Webb, 2009:8) Representation appears three main questions; who is performing the representation, what does it mean and what effects does it have? (Webb, 2009: 2). Webb (2009: 64) told that the subject of representation is a study about physical sensations, thought, speaking and interaction with another. In another statement, Saddam and Bush called by the social actor, it is accorded by van Leeuwen (2009:23). Social actors are represented by seeing their interaction during their life in the environment. It relates with how they exclude and include, with whom they are associated, are they as group or individual, how they perform themselves. (Van Leeuwen, 2009:24-25)
Microstructure is the study about the small element of discourse which consists of semantic, syntactic, stylistic and rhetoric.
The writer finds two previous studies which still related to this
research. First is Bjorn Viberg’s study entitled A Critical Discourse Analysis of
the Political Discourse in the Inaugural Speeches of George W. Bush and Barack
H. Obama from a Post-Colonial Perspective. The finding of this study tells that
there is difference between Bush and Obama’s speech. Bush stand out his discourse but least self-criticism. In contrast Obama did beat around the Bush
great deal. Second is the study of Sahragard and Davatgarzadeh entitled The
Representation of Social Actors in Interchange Third Edition Series: A Critical
Discourse Analysis. This study is about the linguistic representation of male and female social actors and construction of gender identities. First study concerns one of actor or subject is George W. Bush. Second study concerns the representation of social actor.
Saddam and Bush as two figures were famous after the event of 11 September. They can be represented in much news with many representations because they are as social actor. Their representation can analyze by CDA approach because it concern with the social life of them. Therefore, the writer wants study about the representation of Saddam and Bush by using CDA approach.
II. Research Method
This study is a qualitative research. Hancock (1998:2) Qualitative research is concerned with developing explanations of social phenomena. There are two types of data; primary and secondary. The primary data is three news
from TIME magazine; Can This War Be Avoided?, Saddam Addresses Iraqi
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The technique of collecting data is documentation method. It uses some types, such as; looking for news which relates to Saddam and Bush in TIME magazine, reading to get understanding of news, taking some important notes and determining the fix news. The technique of analysis data is descriptive analysis because this research analyzes text and context of news in TIME magazine.
III. Research Finding and Discussion
The finding of this research is the result of analyzing three news in
TIME magazine 2003 which consist of Can This War Be Avoided?, Saddam
Addresses Iraqi People and “We Got Him”. The analyzing uses theory of Jen Webb and Theo van Leeuwen.
A. Findings
1. Jen Webb’s Theory
His theory is related to the representation of physical bodies, psychological and social aspects. It consists of four elements language and the self, the fractured self, (mis) performing self and mental representation.
a. Language and the self
Human beings were born into a world of language. They use language to communicate with another member in their community. Therefore, language can determine the social identity. (Webb, 2009:65) It is related to moral and social qualities.
president who was hated by his Iraqis. Bush gave attention to the world.
b. The fractured self
The fractured self means that we know ourselves, we know our identities. For the example, the student knows that he as academic because he did academic work. (Webb, 2009:70) Saddam and Bush were fractured themselves as the president. Saddam Hussein was the Iraqi president and George W Bush was the U.S president. We know about it because Saddam governed Iraq and Bush governed the U.S.
c. (Mis) performing self
We can know that social actor or participant as man or woman by showing their performing of self. (Webb, 2009:78) The performing of self is representation of physical shape.
Based on those three news, the writer only finds the performing self of Saddam in third news. The reporter of that news showed his performing when he was captured. He reported that Saddam had his shaggy hair and the raccoon beard, therefore it can be concluded that Saddam as man. In other side, the reporters did not show Bush’s performing self, therefore Bush is mis performing self example.
d. Mental representation
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2. Theo van Leeuwen’s theory
This theory is related to sociosemantic inventory, it is the way of social actors can be represented and established the sociological and critical (Van Leeuwen, 2008:23).
a. Exclusion
In the representation social actor can be excluded or included. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:28) Exclusion occurs when the social actor exclude or was told directly. Inclusion occurs when social actor was told indirectly.
Three reporters excluded Saddam and Bush. The type of their exclusion is suppression which there is no reference to the social actors. Beside it, the writer also finds the inclusion. Saddam was included in the representation because the reporters tell him indirectly. They included Saddam as the juggernaut, the dictator, the butcher of Baghdad, the monster, the manhunt, the devil and the tyrant.
b. Role allocation
Role allocation divided into active and passive roles. (Van Leeuwen, 2009:32) Both Saddam and Bush were active role because they showed their force to do something. The writer also finds the passive roles, as written “They got Saddam”. Saddam in that sentence as passive role because he did not show his effort to do something.
c. Genericization and specification
Genericization occurs when the social actors are represented as classes. Meanwhile, specification occurs when the social actors are identified as individual. (Van Leeuwen, 2009:35)
specification, Saddam was as president of Iraq and Bush was as president of the U.S.
In addition specification can be explained that Bush as description of the U.S and Saddam as description of the Iraq. The U.S was famous as powerful country and the leader country in the world because they wanted to master economic, politic, culture, military aspects, etc. It can be seen by appearing President Bush as the hero of 11 September event. Iraq is as one of country in Middle East which must be conquered as Saddam because Iraq can give the danger and bad impact to the world.
d. Assimilation
Assimilation occurs when social actors as a group and individualization occurs when they as individual. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:37) Both Saddam and Bush were represented as individual because the reporters used their name to express it. But, Saddam also as assimilation example because the writer finds noun phrase “some members of Saddam’s inner circle”.
e. Association and dissociation
Association occurs when social actors are represented as group because they are associated with another member. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:38) Saddam is association example because he associated with his sons as written, “…, as happened after the siege
that ended in the deaths of Saddam’s sons Uday and Qusay”. In the
other side, Bush is dissociation example because the reporters did not show that he associated with another member
f. Indetermination and differentiation
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identity clearly. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:39) Meanwhile,
differentiation explicitly differentiates an individual social actor or group of social actors from a similar actor or group. It can be signed by the difference between the “self” and the “other” or between “us” and “them” as with “others” in. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:40)
Saddam and Bush are example of determination because the reporter explained them clearly as previous explanation in assimilation element. But, in three news, the writer does not find statement which explains about the differentiation.
g. Nomination and categorization
Nomination occurs when social actors represent by their unique identity and categorization occurs when they represent their identity and function they share with others. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:40)
Saddam was nominated in all news by using “Saddam Hussein” and “Saddam”. He was categorized by using “the Iraqi president” the Iraqi leader in the second news. In similarity, Bush was nominated by using “Bush” in first and third news. He was categorized by using “President George W. Bush” and “President Bush” in all news.
h. Functionalization and identification
Functionalization is related to the occupation of social actor. Identification occurs when social actor defined by using classification, relational identification and physical identification. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:42)
Classification Relational Identification
Physical Identification
1) Gender: man
2) Provenance: Tikrit
3) Wealth: two
AK-47S, a pistol, $750,000 in $100 bills.
4) Religion: Islam
The father of Qusay and Uday
Has shaggy hair and the raccoon beard
The wealth identity and physical identification are from the capturing of Saddam.
i. Personalization and impersonalization
Personalization occurs when social actors are represented as human beings. Impersonalization occurs when social actors are represented by abstract noun. (Van Leeuwen, 2008:46)
The writer does not find the personalization of both social actors because the reporters did not tell more specific. Thus both social actors are impersonalization. Most impersonalization examples are about Saddam. The reporters impersonalized him by the juggernaut, the dictator, the butcher of Baghdad, the monster, the manhunt, the devil and the tyrant. Those impersonalization examples are abstraction types. The writer also finds objectivation types, it is the Iraqi president. It is called by spatialization because it is a form of objectivation in which Saddam was represented by means of reference to a place with which he lived.
j. Overdetermination
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transcended the difference among what the butcher of Baghdad (can) do, what the monster (can) do, what the manhunt (can) do, what the devil (can) do and what the tyrant (can) do.
B. Discussion
The representation Saddam Hussein and George W. Bush is based on the reporter’s background which consist of personal identity, knowledge background, cultural background and value background. Although in same
magazine; it is TIME, but there are some differences between Saddam and
Bush’s representation.
Romesh Ratnesar is the reporter of news Can This War Be Avoided. In
this news, he more reported about the war plan of Bush and his coalition. He just reported about Saddam only in the thirteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth paragraph. In that news, Romesh did not tell that he prefer on Bush’s decision or Saddam’s action. But, he appraised that Saddam as the criminal who must be captured. It can be explained by two noun phrase which were used by Romesh to represent Saddam; they are the juggernaut and the dictator. He thought that Saddam as president who can not protect his Iraqis but he made many dangers to them.
Romesh did not agree about Bush’s plan on the aggression of Iraq. He thought that Bush’s decision was too fast without think advantage and disadvantage of it. He appraised Bush as egoist president who just thought about the interest of the U.S and did not think the impact which would happen in Iraq.
Saddam Addresses Iraqi People is the second news which was made
The writer finds a word “Allahu Akbar” in this news, it means that Amany understand that word is important word for the Iraqi because they are Islam. This word is founded in the third paragraph, “The speech was punctuated by Islamic references and cries of ?Allahu Akbar? (?God is Great?)”. It shows that Amany Radwan’s religion is same with Saddam’s religion; it is Islam. In Islam religion, there is perception that peer Muslim forbid to affront one another, thus in the second news there is no words which affront people.
In the last paragraph of this news; “According to U.S. officials,
President Bush ordered U.S. forces to strike the Baghdad bunker where
Saddam and his sons were believed to be sleeping”, the writer finds a clue word “to strike”. It can make big question that why Bush and the U.S hand a hand in problem of Iraq. It can show that the value background of Amany is freedom. Freedom in this news means that the Iraqi wanted to solve problem of their country by their self only with Saddam regime but not with other country. Because, it can influence the government in Iraq.
Nancy Gibbs is as the woman reporter of third news “We Got Him”.
This news is the final of history of Saddam and Bush as the social actors of it. It represents Saddam as bad things such as a pharaoh, tomb, and the butcher of Baghdad, a monster, a devil, a goat and a bug. In the other side, Bush was represented as an excellent president who successes in the capturing Saddam. Beside it, Nancy also reported that the U.S has great troops and Saddam as a weak president.
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Globally, Nancy supported the plan of Bush to attack because he has noble purpose; it is liberation of the Iraqi from his president Saddam Hussein. Thus, her value background is freedom. Freedom in third news means that the Iraqi deserves to free from their president because he threaten the Iraqi’s life.
IV. Conclusion
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VIRTUAL REFERENCES
Gibbs, Nancy. 2003. “We Got Him”. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/
0,8599,561468,00.html. Accessed at 01. 23 a.m. February, 27th2003.
Radwan, Armany. 2003. Saddam Addresses Iraqi People
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,436056,00.html. Accessed at
01.19 a.m. February, 27th, 2013.
Ratnesar, Romesh. 2003. Can This War Be Avoided?.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,9171,1004048,00.html. Accessed at
